The present invention relates generally to child restraint seats and, more particularly, to a child restraint seat of the type integrated into the backrest of a vehicular seating arrangement and having means for causing coordinated movement of a headrest member and a seat member between stowed and deployed positions.
Virtually all motor vehicles are equipped with safety belt restraint systems for physically restraining the seat occupant when the vehicle is subjected to a high rate of deceleration which may occur, for example, during a motor vehicle collision. While conventional safety belt restraint systems are well-suited for restraining adult passengers, it is a common practice to use an auxiliary child restraint seat having a belt-type harness for children under a given age and weight. As is known, such auxiliary child seats are placed on top of the vehicle seat and secured thereto using the existing vehicular safety belt restraint system.
In an effort to minimize the inconvenience associated with installing and/or stowing auxiliary child seats, some motor vehicles are now available with seating arrangements that have a "fold-out" child restraint seat integrated into the backrest of an otherwise conventional seat. When needed, the integral child seat can be deployed by rotating a seat member to a lowered operative position and rotating a headrest member to a raised operative position thereby exposing a belt-type harness that is provided for restraining a child seated within the child seat. Following use, the integral child seat can be stowed by lowering the headrest member and raising the seat member to storage positions concealed within the backrest. Once stowed, the seating arrangement accommodates an adult in a normal seated position while preserving the overall cosmetic appearance and comfort of the vehicle seat. In addition, integral child restraint seats are typically equipped with a latching mechanism for releasably locking the headrest member in its raised and lowered positions.
Since integral child restraint seats are intended for use with small children, it is not uncommon for a person to be burdened with the job of releasing and deploying the child seat from its stowed position while holding the child in one arm. Thus, prior to placing the child in the child seat, the person must initially pull-down on the seat member for rotating the seat member to its lowered operative position. Thereafter, the latching mechanism must be deliberately actuated for unlocking the headrest member to permit subsequent rotation of the headrest member to its raised operative position. Unfortunately, this multi-step process for deploying a conventional integral child seat typically requires the use of both hands which is generally considered to be awkward and cumbersome. Furthermore, a similar process is required for subsequently returning the integral child seat to its stowed position. Thus, the need exists to provide an integral child seat with means for minimizing the amount of manual manipulation required for deploying and stowing the child seat.